US Air Force allowed to train in Irish airspace

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday June 16, 2002 11:37 by BOGHY

Foreign Affairs admission that they gave the United States Air Force permission to carry out a training exercise for four days over the weekend off the south-west coast of Ireland involving two C-130 planes flying from Shannon.

"The government has driven another nail in the coffin of Irish military neutrality," said Ó Caoláin. "What international credibility can that neutrality have now that the US Air Force has been given full permission to carry out training exercises in Irish airspace? This disgraceful decision shows that the Irish government's supposed commitment to neutrality is a big lie.

"The abandonment of neutrality to the US and to the developing EU military structures demonstrates the real value any token 'declaration' on neutrality will have if it is used as a device to secure passage of the Nice Treaty in the Referendum Mark 2. I and my four Sinn Féin colleagues in the new Dáil will be seeking broad support for legislation to enshrine neutrality in the Constitution."